Hurt chick.. HELP PLEASE

[Nelzon]

I have a baby chick which was just born about 2 days ago. i noticed it had a bad leg and an odd smell...Later i found out it had a hole/cut on its stomach. please tell me what i can do to help it. what can i use to help that heal faster and not get infected and how can i feed her. she can drink but not eat unless i put it to her face and help her.

 

[lizsmall99]

I am so sorry. Sick chicks are very difficult to take care of. As long as she's eating, drinking, and getting about 95 degrees of heat, she will be okay. That cut seems pretty suspicious though... If I were you, I would take him or her to the vet. It may sound silly, but it's really worth it and not expensive.

Good luck and I wish you the best of luck!

 

[Chick whisper]

Make sure you separate it from the rest of the flock first of all. Try feeding it some yogurt or something with electrolytes, make sure it has clean water, possibly even get some antibiotics to put in the water to help keep it from infection, but make sure the brooder is clean, so it doesn't get infected. The reason I'm saying to separate it is because we don't want the other chicks to pick on her. I hope she gets better, that is very strange.

 

[Emma Miriam]

I second all the above.

Do you have a Tractor Supply or even a pet store near you? Look for a product called Vetericyn Wound Spray. It's great at preventing infections, so spray that on her wound. If you can't find that, you could also try neosporin WITHOUT pain killer (the pain killer is toxic to chickens).

I agree to separate her from the other chicks so she doesn't get picked on. Put electrolytes in her water (if you have a TSC, you can buy Sav-a-Chick electrolytes or a great product called NutriDrench; if not, try making your own electrolytes using this recipe: http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/07/chicken-heat-stress-dehydration-and.html). Putting Sav-a-Chick probiotics in her water would be a good idea too.

If she won't eat her normal food, try wetting it down into a mash. If she still won't eat it, make her some scrambled eggs and sprinkle some chick grit/sand/dirt on top so she can digest it.

And keep her warm, of course.

I agree, this is very strange. Do you think the hole is where her belly-button was? Did you get this chick from a hatchery, a store, or hatch her at home?

 

[Emma Miriam]

Oh, and tell us more about the bad leg. What does it look like? A pic would be great if you can get one.

 

[lizsmall99]

Oh, and one more thing! If you're giving the chick scrambled eggs, also throw in some oatmeal that's not too hot and sticky.

Keep us updated and I really do wish you the best!